New Delhi: India and Russia have signed an agreement to acquire a second Russian Akula-2 class nuclear-powered attack submarine for the Indian Navy.
According to reports, the deal was signed on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa, but was not publicly announced. However, Russian journal Vedomosti has confirmed that the agreement was one of the deals signed alongside many more big-ticket defence deals between India and Russia.
Vedomosti columnist Alexei Nikolski wrote: "According to a source in the Russian defence industry, the long discussed lease to transfer a multipurpose Project 971 nuclear submarine to India from the Russian Navy was signed in Goa."
India already operates a Russian Akula 2 nuclear powered attack submarine under lease from Russia since 2011. With the 10-year lease ending in 2021, New Delhi wanted to close a deal for a second submarine of this class.
